According to the latest reports, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an interactive service in collaboration with Facebook’s Messenger. Through this Messenger users will now be able to receive ‘accurate and timely information about the coronavirus pandemic’.
It is being speculated that WHO will boost Messenger’s monthly users to more than 1.3 billion. The users will be able to get correct information about COVID-19 on Facebook Messenger. The service will enable users to ask questions and WHO will answer those directly through its”Health Alert” interactive service on Messenger.
Stan Chudnovsky, Vice President of Messenger, is of the opinion that through this initiative WHO will be able to reach more people via the Facebook Messenger and provide accurate information, thus stopping the chaos and panic caused by fake news and misinformation all over the Internet. He said, “This is critical as widespread misinformation can create unnecessary fear and panic in this already trying time.”
Messenger users will be able to access this service from WHO’s official Facebook page by clicking on the ‘Send Message’ button. As of now, the WHO Health Alert service has already reached 12 million people across the world.
Facebook recently connected its developer partners with various health organizations in order to help them deliver accurate information about COVID-19. WHO’S recent Messenger-based service is part of the same program.
Apart from WHO, as many as 20 government health organizations including UNICEF, Argentina’s Ministry of Health, the Government of France, the Government of India, and Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, have launched Messenger based information system about COVID-19.